Blog Post

How South Korea Combatted COVID-19 Through Collaborative Cooperation

  • By Emily High
  • •
  • 09 Feb, 2021
  • •

SDSN South Korea member, the Korea Development Institute, conducted a study to showcase the country's response to COVID-19 

During an unprecedented global pandemic, strong and collaborative leadership is key. While nearly every country around the globe has endured the hardships of COVID-19, some have stood out in their effective and strategic response. To showcase South Korea’s COVID-19 response and recovery, the Center for International Development at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), an SDSN South Korea member, conducted a study to examine the country’s comprehensive response to take preventive measures. KDI suggests a collective approach of global knowledge sharing to combat COVID-19 and highlighted how cooperation was key in how South Korea effectively tackled COVID-19.

The South Korean Prime Minister took immediate action to streamline efforts between the Central and Local Government and worked together with health authorities to ensure immediate measures of combatting the virus. The country’s Emergency Economic Council created task forces for finance and economic sectors, which allowed for policies to be put in place immediately to alleviate any damage the pandemic would have on the economy. Also, schools went online after they were shut down and digital support was provided to students and educators to ensure everyone an inclusive education for all amidst the pandemic.

Cooperation was also shown through the public organizations and private enterprises working together toward what KDI described as the 3Ts: Testing, Tracing, Treatment. South Korean citizens actively participated in flattening the curve by social distancing and using proper hygiene protocol. If citizens did contract the virus, South Korea’s National Health Insurance, established in 1989, allowed for the cost not to be an issue for diagnosis and treatment. South Korea also learned from the 2015 Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), where they placed an Infection Disease and Control Prevention Act. This act allowed access to telecommunication data, which proved critical in tracking COVID-19 cases.

While South Korea has seen success in combatting the virus, the video explained ongoing issues the country is still battling including how to contain the spread while not burdening the economy and protecting the rights of individuals while emphasizing the importance of public health. Another issue addressed that while medical personnel was able to help treat COVID-19 treatments and help flatten the cover, they were worked “well over burnout levels” and KDI stated this will not work in the long term.

Wrapping up the video, KDI stated two key lessons learned from Korea’s response to the pandemic: systemic mobilization and digitalization. The healthcare system and government need to work together to allocate resources to flatten the curve. Second, digitalization is key. Prioritization on improving and increasing e-commerce and virtual education is key to ensure the economy does not fall and students do not fall behind in their education.

Check out the 12 minute video produced by KDI below: 

SDSN Newsletter - July 2021

By SDSN Secretariat • 03 Aug, 2021 •
This month, SDSN celebrated its growing network, talked about the incredible amount of media coverage on the 2021 SDR, and reflected on this year's High Level Political Forum

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By Fiona Laird • 02 Aug, 2021 •
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European Commission launches proposals to reach 55% emissions reduction by 2030

By Sam Van Hoof • 30 Jul, 2021 •
The ‘Fit for 55' package includes a ban on combustion engines from 2035, a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and a Social Climate Fund among other provisions.

SDSN Canada 2021 Members Meeting Recap

By Giovanni Bruna • 29 Jul, 2021 •

SDSN Canada reconvened the network membership on June 16th, 2021 for the annual Members Meeting.

This year's meeting featured conversations on the current state of the SDGs in Canada, emerging opportunities for post-secondary institutions, networking breakout sessions, and a featured joint presentation by the Brookings Institution and Rockefeller Foundation on mobilizing campuses and communities for the SDGs using the 17 Rooms initiative. A lightning round of member initiatives was also included to highlight a portion of the SDG work happening across the network.

Recap the discussion by reading the meeting notes   or listening to the audio recordings for each session.

Meeting Highlights:

  • The SDSN Global annual Sustainable Development Report 2021  was released June 2021, tracking progress on the SDGs by country (Canada ranked 21st in the world). The report outlines the short-term impacts of COVID-19 on the SDGs and describes how the SDGs can frame the recovery.
  • The Government of Canada has released Canada’s National Strategy for the SDGs, Moving Forward Together. The strategy outlines a set of 30 actions towards the SDGs, including localizing the SDGs, supporting partnerships with Indigenous initiatives, and advancing research into the gaps in Canada's efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
  • The 17 Rooms initiative  is a tool for advancing SDG collaboration, community-centric conversations, and bottom-up action. There are three key principles of consideration:
    • Every SDG gets a seat at the table (a dedicated room).
    • Identify what the next step is, and not the perfect step. What are things you can do together over the next 12 to 18 months that you can implement action on the SDGs?
    • It is about conversations, not presentations. The goal is to learn from each other and create a community of practice.
    • Join the 17 Rooms-X Community of Practice to access the beta toolkit.
  • A ‘lightning round’ of presentations by members spotlighting SDG work from Colleges and Institutes Canada, the Interdisciplinary Research Center in the Operationalization of Sustainable Development (CIRODD), Vancouver Island University, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Waterloo.

The meeting was also a chance to invite the membership into initiatives designed to be more intentional about the network’s collective presence and impact. In this vein, the network thinks that the 17 Rooms process can be a critical resource for campus conversations on the SDGs. It also relaunched the Member Challenge , is starting the ‘SDG Teaching Community’ for faculty across the network, and is convening a small working group of interested members to talk about an enhanced governance structure for the network.

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We encourage stakeholders to provide meaningful input to aid the development of a better and more complete report. We invite feedback from individuals and organizations, from all sectors.

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The FABLE Consortium is releasing two policy briefs over the coming months intended to advise national governments on sustainable land-use and diets. The first brief, entitled “Environmental and agricultural impacts of dietary shifts at global and national scales'' is now available.

Media Coverage of the Sustainable Development Report 2021

By SDG Index • 23 Jul, 2021 •
The Sustainable Development Report 2021 has been covered by the BBC, the Guardian, Washington Post, and more than 100 other media outlets.

The Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

By Isabella Massa • 21 Jul, 2021 •
SDSN together with the United Nations Resident Coordinators in SIDS and the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda hosted on 12 July 2021 a High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) side event to discuss the issue of measuring multidimensional vulnerability, and its relevance for international financing mechanisms.

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By SDGs Today • 20 Jul, 2021 •
SDGs Today recently launched their My School Today! call to action, meant to support students and local communities to geo-reference their schools and education facilities as part of an effort to promote timely information on school locations in Africa

SDSN at the 2021 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)

By SDSN Secretariat • 20 Jul, 2021 •
SDSN and our networks are hosting a number of events alongside the UN's High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). We are thrilled to invite you to join us at the following events, which SDSN is hosting or are organized by our partners.
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